Friday, December 23, 2011

Chinese Meteorology

About a few weeks, I received a strange copy of the book Meteorology. I was surprised because the book is in Chinese! This book I illustrated a few years ago (actually in 2009.), for the local publisher Creative Center. A Chinese publisher bought the rights for the series Find out and try, that contains mentioned book - Meteorology

Meteorology – Serbian and Chinese editions

From now, the Chinese kids will have a chance to enjoy in my illustrations. I wonder how they translated the text in a balloons, because the illustrations full of comic dialogue, and I’m the author of all comic dialogue that appear in the illustrations.

My most rigorous critic – Katarina she likes Chinese version of the book
Editors from Creative center had a few complaints, so there was censoring some balloon text and image content.

Here are a few fun examples of censorship:

The first censored illustration in the book - Amish and tornado
This is the first illustration in the book. My original idea was that the characters are Amish (it is mentioned explicitly in a footnote of illustration) Jakob says that as soon as possible he bought a TV to watch the weather, despite the fact that the Amish do not use electronic devices, and other "evil things" of modern technology. Editors did not want to explicitly say that the characters are Amish, but looking at the illustration, it is obvious...


Totally rejected illustration – Charles Fort and falls of frogs

Another fun example of censorship is the illustration with falls of frogs. Author of the book is not like this idea, as well as illustration of Charles Fort, a famous researcher into weird events. This illustration is totally rejected.

Illustrative allusion to the TV soap series Wounded Eagle
The third illustration example is actually an allusion to one domestic (Serbian) idiotic TV soap novel - Wounded Eagle - totally crap that was broadcast on Serbian national television. Author of the book – Nedeljko Todorovic – he recognized my intention, and the characters name from shitty series, was rejected from the dialogue of this illustration… unfortunately…

Sunday, December 11, 2011

REBELS – Witches

"Today, most people imagine witches as ugly and old women. Demonic masks with toothless mouth, a long, hooked nose and at least one large nipple from which sticks out a few hairs"
Illustration for a story They are from ancient times
"Witches come from ancient times, when death was not death, and when the living and the dead lived together… For these creatures boundaries between worlds was porousin the space, border was marked with grave, and the time with sunset."

 Illustration # 1 / story Remedy against the witches
"They say that God is powerful because He is the knower of all names. From Him the name can not be hide. But from the people and witches can"

Illustration # 2 / story Remedy against the witches
"The terrible names are welcome against a witch. If witches were already cracked down on someone's house, then the boy should be named Vuk (Wolf), and girl Vukosava or Vukana, because the witches are afraid of the wolf and not attack him."


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

46th Golden Pen of Belgrade – Kindly Awarded Corpses!

Last week it came to me a good news - illustrations from the graphic novel Kindly Corpses (bonus story Autopsy of Death) were awarded with one of the major prizes at  46th Golden Pen of Belgrade.

The International Golden Pen of Belgrade prize

Very pleased me this award. Apparently, this is cash award too, but I do not remember that I received some money - if they burn me out for my well deserved cash, I will dissect someone ...
144 page / Autopsy of Death / Kindly Corpses
 No kidding, I'm serious about dissection ...

Monday, October 17, 2011

REBELS – Vampires

Do you remember my first post? Exactly a year ago I started with the presentation of illustrations that I have worked for the book Banished Demons – the edition of Serbian mythology. Then you had the opportunity to meet with unbaptized creatures, dogheads, Grandma horn ... and other strange beings of Serbian mythology. Now is the time to introduce Serbian vampires and witches through illustrations from the book Rebels. As before, beside me on this project as illustrators also participated Dragan Bibin, Duško Beljac, Vanja Todorić I Miloš Vujanović.

Rebels - Vampires and Witches - the book of Serbian mythology
The book Rebels is the third volume, and last in this series.


Illustration for the story Who becomes a vampire?
"Children born in the placenta, when the right time comes, can become vampires"

Illustration # 1, the story Vampire life

"Drowned, suicides, unhappy dead, cursed, those who have died without candles - unfortunate souls above them hangs a dark shadow of vampirism, without their guilt - seem to be almost randomly selected and pushed into the arms of eternal night…"

Illustration # 2, the story Vampire life

"How long is their life after death no one knows. Some say only forty days - the time needed for dead soul to visit regions and beings that loved in life...
Rest is peace, quiet, and dead person is someone who has sunk in that peace, everlasting peace and quiet, without desire, hope and movement. But, there are those dead who can not settle down. They complain, rebel against everything, against life and against death..."

Illustration # 1, the story How to kill a vampire?

"In order to give them peace, people with hawthorns stabbing vampires under their fingernails and the tongue, cut ears, feet and fingers, torn tendon below the knees…"

Illustration # 2, the story How to kill a vampire?

"Is there a safer and more naïve victim than dead man, whose peace is only stored in the hearts of the living? He should still live there, in those hearts that beat, to find peace in them. There and only there is his peace, his real tomb. But warm hearts are the place for something else, something much colder than death…"

Illustration # 3, the story How to kill a vampire?

Next post will be about witches...
Stay tuned…

Monday, September 19, 2011

Kindly PRINTED Corpses

Finally, the Corpses are successfully raised in the form of beautiful printed hardcover books. I must admit that I feared that the book would not look good in print, but when I saw the very first copies I was pleasantly surprised. A small number of printers in Serbia that can provide good quality printed books, especially if the books are hard binding.

Kindly Corpses / B5 format / Hardcover / 160 pages / Full color
You already know that this is a second enlarged edition, and this time the Kindly Corpses shine in the right light ... So, here are a few reviews about this graphic novel:

"Kindly Corpses is, in literary and visual terms, brilliantly postmodern realization of current best Serbian writer Zoran Penevski and ingenious artist Ivica Stevanovic. This graphic novel is able to deal with the best world novels." – Slobodan Ivkov

Height 241 mm / Width 170 mm / Thickness 15 mm / Weight 580 gr
"Kindly Corpses (is) maybe by now, if not most important, then a crucial, extraordinary achievement in production of Serbian comics!" – Branislav Miltojević

Interior views of the book / detail / page 70
This graphic novel will appear at the International Comics Festival in Belgrade, with a promotional price of 12 euros... See you there!

PS
Everyone who wants to buy this graphic novel, and live in Novi Sad, can contact me by mail: edgedesign24@gmail.com

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Kindly covered corpses

For the new edition we are needed a new cover. The first edition cover of Kindly corpses were too dark – did not reflect the true spirit of this graphic novel. So it was necessary to change the cover. I have done many covers for various books… But when I need to do covers for my own book, it can be much more complicated job. I did not want to fall into the usual trap – to smash my head that it must be kicking ass cover! I did something very simple and graphically powerful – enough to draw the attention of potential readers, I hope...
Kindly Corpses front cover / Second edition

Then I applied the cover design on 3d model book, and I must admit I liked how they look. Much better than the first edition!

Kindly Corpses / 3D model book

Here are the first ideas for the front cover, but I did not like because there are too many stories in it.

The first version of the cover / sketch drawing / pen and ink

Kindly corpses are completed now. Next phase - printing!
There are many interesting book projects ahead of me. Stay online!
Less talk, more work!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Kindly Corpses - Final destination!

Finally, the Kindly Corpses are made up, piece by piece. The first Serbian graphic novel in extended and redesigned new edition! The first edition had 104 pages, and this new edition has an amazing 160 pages! Two bonus stories – Corpses That We Loved and Autopsy of Death! Here are a few page views and some beautiful lyrics from the book:

Death like a little girl / page3 / Kindly Corpses

"When death was a little girl
She wanted eternity as a gift
And with her faceless smile
She took my calendar.

Gallery illustration / page 153 / Kindly Corpses

I felt a scream rise up inside me
Like a child’s terror unexplained
My body is an abyss that hunts me again.

Gallery illustration / page 159 / Kindly Corpses
And whose eyes could bring me back
When only the vagaries of words know of me?

Autopsy of Death - bonus story / double-page 138-139

I scream through the morning hours
Until someone hears me..."

Autopsy of Death - bonus story / double-page 140-141

And as I promised, here are the first two chapters of Kindly Corpses (Serbian language version) in PDF format:

Can be kinder than this?

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Lambshead Cabinet

Recently, I received copies of great book – TheThackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. After Steampunk Reloaded, this is the second book by Ann and Jeff, where I participate with two of my illustrations. I was simply delighted to work with fantastic VanderMeer couple on these great projects. 

A sneak peek at The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet Of Curiosities
"The narrative scope and stellar assemblage of writers and illustrators…makes this a book that will be absolutely cherished by fantasy, science fiction, and steampunk afficionados alike." – Paul Goat Allen, B&N Book Club

Grayscale illustration for The Armor Of Sir Locust / Pen and watered ink on paper
"Sometimes I entertain the ghoulish notion that perhaps this armor is no artifact at all, but rather a mummified skeleton, scooped out subsequent to burial and grave robbery." The Armor Of Sir Locust

Teaser - illustration details for the story Relic by Jeffrey Ford

A carefully selected group of popular artists and acclaimed, bestselling authors has been assembled to bring this cabinet of curiosities to life:

You can order the book at the following links:

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Corpses that we loved

Finally handmade process is completed. What we do next, is a mixing and digital editing, framing, typing text, etc... Yes, the second edition of Kindly corpses is in final stage. I fear that in this last phase, I will spend a lot of time trying to (re)make a comic book pages better than they are! Here are the first results...

Illustration reworked in mixed media technique (digital collage)
This digital collage is actually a remake of an old illustration done for the first edition of Kindly corpses. I love digital collage as an artistic technique, because using this technique you can get unexpected outcomes. So in this case I got a strange creature in the right part illustration.... Until the end I never know what will happen after the digital mixing.



Sketch drawing in watered ink technique and reworked in Photoshop
The following digital collage is made ​​on the basis of the illustration that was made in ink, pen, brush and white tempera on yellow paper. It's bloated corpse!
"You're bloated dead body, like a bubble of lifeless meat."- Andrej Grammatik

 
And at the end of this post, one double page - the beginning of the first bonus stories Corpses that we loved in the second edition of Kindly corpses!
 
 Corpses that we loved / double-page / mixed media technique

Do I have promised the first 34 pages Kindly corpses in PDF format for free? I am, and it will be soon. Be patient!

Friday, May 27, 2011

The Synthesis Of Traditional and Digital

In Belgrade this Thursday, starting the first Balkan Illustration Symposium. Lots of good illustrators, lectures, demonstrations... I will also take part of this symposium (on Saturday), and I will demonstrate my illustration technique. This work is a good example for the synthesis of traditional and digital - my presentation theme at the symposium ...

Super Floating Monkey Boy and the Blonde Girl’s Flying Head
Drawing comes from my sketchbook, and when I finished it digitally, I've used for the Parka's drawing contest #5 Super Lame Heroes...

Monday, May 9, 2011

Fade To Grey

Continue with the drawings for the new edition of Kindly Corpses... Before I fall to pieces and fade to gray, hear what Andrej Grammatik has to say:

"We are doing our best to give up ownership of our bodies…

Sketch drawing in watered ink technique
…We are consumers  who spend our bodies. Running to buy hip products, we are running out of our bodies… The market puts us under pressure: a new kidney design is in, a new type of the lungs is desirable…"

Andrej Grammatik - Detail of the comic panel
"It is as we coexist with our demons. We are simultaneously on the inside and outside of ourselves. We are free, and we are nowhere..."

Sketch drawing in watered ink technique

The first 34 pages of graphic novel Kindly Corpses in PDF format for free download, you can expect very soon!